Wednesday, March 23, 2016

The Mystery of Chopper Base really should have been the
episode to follow up Shroud of Darkness. It was lighter and had a good adventure
on the new base, but also did a good job of setting up what is going to happen
next week for the finale. All the
Forgotten Droid episode did was give us the base, the only other call back to
it was a brief scene with Chopper’s droid friend. They could have given us a
better episode last week where they found the base, and set up more of the
conflict brewing between Kanan and Ezra.

The opening for the episode was strong and heavy on the
foreshadowing. It was interesting to see how strong and capable Ezra is getting
and that he is now on par with Kanan in many respects. It won’t be long before
he surpasses the master. Kanan is worried about him, worried because of the fight
he had at the Jedi temple on Lothal. He wants to prepare Ezra the best he can
so he doesn’t turn to a dark path, but he’s worried he still will. I still
think the trial Kanan went through on Lothal was more about him accepting his
limitations as a protector of Ezra rather than it predicting Ezra’s fall to the
darkside. I still don’t think Ezra is going to turn to the darkside, but I’m
willing to admit they are setting it up for him to take a fall.

Ezra and Kanan are getting ready to leave and I liked the pain
this decision is causing Hera. She understands the need for them to leave, but
she still thinks they are needed for the Rebellion, plus she has a special
relationship with Kanan. I liked her decision in the tunnel to take Zeb and
Sabine and let Ezra and Kanan go on their own. In the end they still needed
Kanan and Ezra to get them out of the situation, which reinforced her worry
about needing them in the fight against the empire.

Kanan and Ezra leaving is good for the show, but having Ezra
go out and watch the sunset with Zeb seemed wildly misplaced. It just didn’t
work, it was supposed to be touching and showcase their friendship, but the
scene was just odd. I want them to say goodbye, but it was a big tonal shift
for the episode overall. I saw a clip with the scene earlier in the week, and
thought it was strange, it was even stranger in the episode.

Everything but this weird scene was good in the episode. I
liked the adventure the team went on. The giant spider creatures were well
designed and they setup good tension in the episode overall. The team going to
look for Rex after he was captured was intense and a little frightening. The
action against the spiders was also well done and both the ending and initial
scene with Rex and Sabine was exciting. Kanan got in on the action using his lightsaber
in grand fashion after Ezra tried to connect with the creatures. Their argument
in the tunnel didn’t seem as fun and light hearted as normal. Ezra quip at the
end tried to make it lighthearted, but there was a definite serious undertone,
and I think their relationship is becoming strained. Kanan realizes he doesn’t
have much more to teach Ezra and is worried he is going to take the wrong path
because he doesn’t have common sense.

The final battle in the episode was terrific, but a small
nitpick I have would be why they didn’t call for more backup from the Rebel
base. Their communications weren’t down, why not get a bunch of A-wings and soldiers
to come lay waste to the spiders and sit tight in the ship? I get that we
wouldn’t have an exciting finish if this were the case, but it is a small plot
hole. Plus what happened to the other pilot they initially were sent out to
find? I assume she was lost, but they should have at least mentioned her when
they went and rescued Rex. He was alive, why couldn’t she have been? Two very small nitpicks of the episode, but
overall it was fun exciting tense adventure.

The ending with Ezra was interesting. Ahsoka telling him
that you can never truly understand the force was true, but what was interesting
was the subtle use of musical score during the sequence. The piece of score is
used at the end of Return of the Jedi when Anakin is dying and telling Luke he
was right about him. What could this mean if anything? Is this a nod to people being
right about Ezra turning bad, or just an ominous piece of music to setup the conclusion
of the season? It could mean Ezra is getting ready to take a turn, I don’t want
this to be true, but I have to admit they are setting it up for him too. I
still think it would be more interesting for Kannan to make the turn, but them
making Kanan a Jedi Knight in Shroud of Darkness speaks against it.

I’m excited for the two part conclusion next week. The
season has been fun and well done overall, but if the finale is excellent I
think it can help cement the show as good for both kids and hardcore fans. Did
you think tonight was a good setup for the finale next week? Do you think Ezra
will make a turn to the darkside or remain on the side of the light? Comment and
let me know.